It finally dawned on me to start creating a blog post for every hike my son and I take as we slowly push through our project of hiking the entire 310-mile Superior Hiking Trail (SHT), which runs from the Minnesota – Wisconsin border all the way up to Canada, in chunks. Not only could it … More The Ultimate Triathlon: Hike, Bike, and Pay Off Mortgage
Yesterday I sent out the following image, urgently on Instagram: To my dismay, I had discovered that my harvest had no destination. The Whole Foods Co-op and Mount Royal had ample stock to get them through to this coming Thursday, my main delivery day. I’ve been doing a small Monday harvest as a backup, so … More Brains, brawn, and commerce for a great day. Plus, a business update.
In the current economic pinch it seemed crazy to drive a 2,932-pound Prius 18 miles round-trip just so I could ski a few miles in circles. The Piedmont ski trails currently have the best classic ski conditions around, however, and my family relationships don’t do well when exercise and time outdoors are curtailed. The day … More Working through the anxiety
My first thought was, “Well, at least our prepaid bowling pass wasn’t destroyed.” Darting in and out of highway traffic, like a crow feeding on roadkill, I picked up the pieces. Asphalt. High Speeds. Trucks on the move. Add a dash of stupidity, and you’ve got a whole lot of smithereens. I never thought such … More Asphalt. Sparks. Smithereens.
When in doubt, just start at the beginning. Take one step at a time, and eventually you’ll reach your destination. For those of us who suffer from decision fatigue, this is the most practical way to get going on a project. I remind myself of this all the time. Just start at the beginning! This … More The end of the beginning
This here is a 2-pound button mushroom that we grew in our basement: I know approximately jack diddly squat about growing these things, and hadn’t wanted to deal with the freak that had been steadily expanding in cubic mass down in the cellar. I grow veggies, of course. Fungi are a mystery. Thankfully, my wife … More The fog lifts
For the first time in a quarter century, I brought the perfect book back to this secret cabin on the Pigeon River. The choice of reads, being such a weighty decision, always stymies me. The journey back to this cabin demands serious effort and unwavering commitment, requiring 4-8 hours journey through 4-5 feet of snow, … More Our 2,000 year old Little Library, a great read, and an epic adventure.
An automated children’s allowance, funded through the Bank of Dad, and brought to fruition through recent advances in technology, has permanently solved a conundrum I’ve kicked around for years. We’ll tweak things along the way, but the basic system is now fixed for our remaining half-decade of parenting minor children. No more flailing around or … More Allowances can be Financial Dynamite for your family. FamZoo will help you get there.
Being the only child of a broken home is the gift that keeps on giving. Nearly every day, since about the age of seven, has found me fretting about how thee heck both of my parents will navigate retirement after a lifetime of insufficient financial planning, chronic indebtedness, and singleness for as far as the … More Radical Finances for the Self-Employed Household
Accounting use to be a major chore. Last summer, in the midst of 80-100 hour workweeks focused on building my farm into a workable business, I neglected this task for about 75 days. I logged in to my accounting thingy, and was nearly swept away by the deluge of transactions that had automatically fed into … More Ditch the screen. Old fashioned, minimalist accounting by pencil and paper for your small business.
